Re: Steph/Bruce -- Steph's loft.
Consistent does sound better. [He smiled. Part of him worried that, upon returning here, the other Gotham would have changed him in a lasting way. That the wall he constructed to survive there, harsh and impenetrable, would carry over and be too difficult to chip away at. But it wasn't; at least, he hoped as much. Bruce had needed to harden himself to survive there but he didn't actually want to be the Bat everyone always said they were glad he wasn't. Distance was difficult to bridge once created, but he was trying.
As for the Joker, he thought the very last thing Stephanie had needed was that man showing up in her dream. He was glad she wasn't hurt, but he knew physical injuries barely scratched the surface.] I'm glad you weren't hurt, but I know... I know it must feel like a setback. And getting better is extremely difficult in the first place. [He went quiet, listening, and it didn't surprise him that she'd wished she killed the Joker. Sometimes he felt the same.] What happened in the dream wasn't your fault. You can't control what anyone else does, least of all the Joker. [He paused.] I know I wasn't around very much, before. But that's going to be different now. And I'd like... if you want to, I'd like it if you came back to the Manor. You don't need to be alone.